Harmonica Sessions® is a bimonthly online magazine exploring various facets of harmonica music. Each month, this “webzine” will feature articles by composers, teachers, or performers. Visitors to the site can learn about the featured authors’ publications, background, or performance/workshop schedule. A free printable music sample will be included in at least one of the articles each month. So keep coming back, and we hope you enjoy it! Feel free to send us your comments and suggestions to Contact Us.

Chromatic for Diatonic Players
By Winslow Yerxa
Last time I showed you cross-tuned and straight-tuned chromatics, where to find the reeds for each note on each type, along with some cleaning tips.
This time, I’m going to look at slide springs.

Springs—Why?
When you depress the slide on a chromatic harmonica, and then release the pressure, the slide springs back to its original position. This is nice, as it saves you the work of manually shuttling the thing in and out. But it’s also kind of expected. After all, when you press on your …

by Kinya Pollard
In the 2011 October issue of HarmonicaSessions.com®, I wrote about two extraordinarily good looking BlueXlab combs I had purchased. The quality and craftsmanship of the olive wood and anodized aluminum combs were exquisite. It was love at first site. I even contemplated running off to Vegas with them—and why not? After all, “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!”
My heart was broken, however, the moment I placed the SP20 to my lips. The protruding mouthpiece created an obstacle between me and the “fat tone” embouchure I worked so many …

SWAPPING OUT FOR CRYSTAL, PART 1
by Fritz Hasenpusch
I’ve got to admit that the squad of post-holiday helper elves still on duty down here in the MICROPHONE DUNGEON were more than a little concerned with the working title of this installment of THE MIC BENCH. They’ve requested that I state for the record: This is about harpmics that utilize piezo-electric/Rochelle salt elements—or that we’ll be using these high impedance devises. They’ve also asked me to request that the DEA please stand-down at this time. Thank you…
During our last visit we looked …

This month we’ll dig into the Power Licks section of my newly released book with Mel Bay Publications Rock Harmonica (MB21979BCD).
The guitarist on the following recordings is John Garcia. John is a master of the extended solo—he can easily wow the crowd for twenty choruses. Not only does he own a huge vocabulary of licks, he’s also very adept at scale combinations and arpeggios at lightning speed. My playing, on the other hand, has become more and more classic in nature over the years. In my teens my …

by Kinya Pollard
Over the years, I have been approached by numerous harmonica players who have confessed their love for tinkering. Many of you spend more time on the workbench than on the bandstand—sound familiar?

Motivated by the economic downturn or simply a desire to monetize their hobby, a few of you out there officially set up shop and began marketing your harmonica centric business.

As a business owner for over 30 years, I am always intrigued and delighted when I find an enterprise that has crossed over the notoriously difficult five year …